By Jess Cockerill – Science Alert –
Clusters of cells grown in the lab have been encouraged to produce human blood stem cells in a discovery that could one day supplement donations to people with blood disorders like leukemia and lymphoma.
The University of Cambridge-led team behind the innovative process calls these tiny blood factories ‘hematoids’, which were shown to differentiate into both red and white blood cells just like umbilical cord stem cells.
Made from donated human stem cells, the embryo-like structures lack critical tissues, including the yolk sac and placenta, required for further development.
